Carol:
After a final farewell to Keith's parents, we were on our way to Wall, home of the famous Wall Drug (more on this in just a moment). The interesting thing about SD's terrain is that there are large stretches of flat road with an occasional hill. As a result, I'm often unsure of how much progress we've made as the scenery does not change much. It also means that I'll be caught unaware when the hills approach and need to shift frantically into lower gears. On one such instance, I heard a crack and came to the dreaded realization that I had snapped my shifter cable. Kids reading at home, never shift under duress! Fortunately, we were a mere 15 miles from Rapid City.
The great folks at Acme Bicycles were able to replace my cable while Colin and I ate lunch outside. We met Skip, a recent returned expat from Taiwan, who had worked in the cycling industry. As two Chinese language students and one cycling enthusiast, we had much to discuss. Lamenting our lunch dessert of M&Ms, Skip treated us to homemade rhubarb pie!
Filled with pie and geared up for the rain, Colin and I made our way to Wall Drug. For the uninitiated, Wall Drug is the mecca of tourist traps with highway signs every half mile, hawking its goods. I cannot tell a lie. I was and remain highly susceptible to kitsch, especially when paired with horrible puns. By the time we arrived at Wall Drug, I was craving ice water, western wear and anything else Wall Drug had to offer. Luckily, Colin humored me as I made my rounds.
Plump with milkshakes, Colin and I bunkered down in preparation for our next day trip to the Badlands.
107 miles.
1414 miles total.
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